Midland Lady Explorers start out strong

The week before the Midland Lady Explorers' opening Toledo Tune-up Tournament on June 7-8, coach Mike Kozuch wasn't sure what to expect.

He knew he'd have speed at the top of the lineup and 16 girls with desire. But after seeing only a few of them play, Kozuch was admittedly uncertain as to what to expect.

Kozuch and the rest of the Toledo Tune-up field got a big hint about how the team's season will transpire after the Lady Explorers went 6-0-1 to win the tournament.

"We did better than I thought we would for having a number of new players on the team," Kozuch said. "I was just pleasantly surprised at how well they gelled the first weekend, and we came away with winning the tournament undefeated."

The Lady Explorers won their opener against the Ohio Classics 6-0 behind the arm of Casey Hanes. The former third team All-American picked up the win by striking out nine and walking one - the only batter she walked all weekend.

Ashley Gilson doubled and drove in a run to lead the Lady Explorers' offense.

Saginaw Valley State's Stacy Kraatz earned the 6-2 win in the second game by allowing just three hits.

Kraatz also had two hits and two runs scored, while Lisa Seymour had two hits, including a triple, and two runs batted in.

The Lady Explorers' bats came alive in the third game, as they beat the Wizards (Lowe, Ohio) 11-1. Gilson had two doubles and an RBI, while Coleman alum Kim Cozat and Hanes had two hits each. Stefanie Morong picked up the win in the circle by holding the Wizards to just three hits.

The only game the Lady Explorers didn't win was game No. 4, where Midland failed to score and tied the Michigan Batbusters 0-0 in seven innings.

"The only blemish we had was we tied one game, because with over 140 teams and 500 games there was a time limit on games," Kozuch said. "The game we tied, we had opportunities to win it, but we just couldn't push that one run across."

Hanes threw a three-hitter for the no decision, while seven Explorers had a hit.

The Lady Explorers posted big wins the next two games, beating the Adrian Lookouts 15-1 in three innings and then blanking the Wizards-Green (Toledo) 7-0.

Kraatz pitched a three-hitter against the Lookouts, while Bullock Creek grad Marissa Dickey led Midland with three hits.

The win over the Wizards-Green was highlighted by a no-hitter by Hanes, who also struck out nine. Northwood's Sam Thacker, SVSU's Angie Kaiser and Keely McMillon each had two hits for the Lady Explorers, while McMillon also had three RBIs.

Despite the nice start, Kozuch said there are still a few things the girls need to work on before they next take the field.

"There's a few things, a few fundamental things, that need to be worked on that we'll work on in practice and future tournaments," Kozuch said. "But for the most part, you could tell the girls played at college for 40 or 50 games and were in pretty good shape physically. They obviously continued to workout, so I was impressed with the way they came out the first time."

The Lady Explorers are off this weekend, with their next action coming June 21 in a exhibition against the U.S. National Team at Currie Stadium.